Final Fantasy VII: Origins
by Flutist Girl
Summary: She had been adamant that their worlds remain separate. Her war was not theirs, and she wanted nothing to do with ShinRa. But the longer she fought, the more she realized: to save her world, and the lives of the four SOLDIERs she had come to respect, she must draw them into the very heart of Hyrule's deepest conflict.
1. The Alarm

Final Fantasy VII: Origins

A Final Fantasy VII and Legend of Zelda Crossover

_Author's Note: This is my first crossover. The idea has lodged itself in my mind for the past two years, silently stewing, and though I am not entirely sure as to how this is going to work out, I figure the only way to find out is to let it out. Maybe then I can move on with my life. _

_I am aware that this is a weird crossover as far as world and character compatibility go. __The story will be primarily set in Midgar (at least in the beginning), but there will be a fair amount of hopping around in Hyrule. Time-wise, this is just prior to Crisis Core. And Hyrule is...Hyrule. Still fudging out the timeline details there. Probably nearabouts the area of Twilight Princess. _

_Don't like it? Don't read it. __All flames will be discarded. Criticism (even and especially negative criticism) is welcomed. _

_So here goes nothing. Anyone in for a wild ride?_

* * *

Chapter One: The Alarm

Zack Fair was altogether confused by the mission.

He'd been interrupted from his training by the beeping on his PHS. It was an alert he swore he'd never see: a major security breach. An intruder had made it in, and had last been spotted about three hallways over from his current position. As far as intel knew, it was a lone person that had somehow (everyone was scratching their heads, he was assured) they had made it past all security checks to their current point.

"Odd," he admitted, but continued. There were seven more Death Machines to clean up. He flipped the PHS closed and pocketed it, readying his sword again.

He could deny the situation any longer, however, when the virtual monsters dissolved before him. He shouted, "Come on!" in frustration, but it was no good. Some higher-up had hacked his system, and judging by the ringing phone in his pocket, he assumed that he would be on duty in about ten seconds.

"We need you to—"

"Yeah, I know. Specs please."

"…All right. We need you to resolve this security breach."

"Is the subject hostile?" Zack asked, finishing up some final stretches as he talked on his phone.

"There has been no confrontation, and the subject does not appear to possess any weapons."

"…No confrontation?" He pulled one leg behind him, stretching his quads. If they'd made it this far, surely they would have had an opportunity to do some damage, had they wanted to.

"Affirmative."

"And this is a problem because…" He rolled his neck to try to ease a kink that had been there since last night. "Are we sure some new big-wig executive didn't just get _really _lost?"

"This is a security breach, Fair. You are to take the subject into custody."

"Yeah. Erm…roger." And with that he hung up.

Zack had seen people do some reckless and stupid things, but of all the places to stage a solo attack, the SOLDIER floor was probably _not_ the place to do it. And security was so tight that it was rare for a stray moth to get through. Something didn't sit right with him.

He just didn't even feel the urgency. He took a few moments to roll his shoulders, and then finished up with three squats for good measure. Clapping his hands, and then rubbing them together, he said to himself, "Zack Fair, SOLDIER second class, on the case."

He exited the simulator room and sighed, drawing his sword, and finally slumping under the disappointment. "On…the really lame case," he muttered.

This was hardly the type of work he had dreamed of.

He wondered what Sephiroth was doing now. Probably something more exciting, he decided, and sighed as he took his time to his destination.

Walking had been ample speed. The subject was standing in the SOLDIER commons area.

Just…standing there. Back toward him.

Looking out the window.

Still as death.

Zack tilted his head, sizing up what little of the situation really needed to be analyzed. The subject was average height, somewhat slender, but cloaked in an archaic looking black cloak with some strange white symbols embroidered on the back. One foot was propped on the bench nearest the window-walls that overlooked the city of Midgar. The subject was as still as the rest of the empty commons, a dark shadow framed by the backdrop of the filthy city.

He waited for any sign of movement.

None was given.

He was confused as to what to do. And so he cleared his throat, and said, "Excuse me…?"

The figure turned then to face him.

And the situation became much more bizarre.

He would have sworn every last gil from his pittance of a paycheck that, for the barest moment, her eyes had been _red_, and her hair had shone. There was something that, for a split second, had caught his breath in his throat.

But a second look, and it was just a woman. Beneath that cloak, she was blonde, with blue eyes, and pale. Similar in age to him, if not slightly older.

Altogether, unremarkable.

She smiled genuinely, if a little reservedly, and dipped her head and eyes low. "Greetings, stranger," she said.

That was the last thing that Zack ever expected to come out of that mouth. It took him aback, and he stammered, raising one hand to nervously ruffle the hair on the back of his head. "Uh…greetings…to you too." The ensuing silence unnerved Zack, but the woman was noticeably undisturbed.

"Are you…?" Zack winced, trying to find words. "Have you been here for long?"

"Oh no, I arrived just a few moments ago."

"Then…how did you get past security?"

"…Security…?" The word was said slowly, and for the first time, she appeared confused. "Forgive me, I don't understand."

_Oh boy…_ She was either an expert liar or…or nothing. It wasn't possible that she could be telling the truth. He could detect no guile from her. But Zack swore every time he entered or exited the building he had to wave his badge twenty times. She had to have crossed _something_…

"Security. Like…checkpoints. Card scanners. Guards—"

"Guards?" her eyes lightened with understanding. "I see. I have come to a sensitive area."

"Yeah, you could say that, I guess."

"Forgive me, I am not used to protocol here, but it apparent that I have violated code."

Zack shrugged. "Not really the way I would have worded it, but I think you've got the idea."

"You are a warrior. Were you sent to apprehend me?"

"Uh…yes." He decided not to sugar coat it.

"Ah…let me reassure you, then. I am not here to cause any harm."

"What are you here to do, then?" Zack asked.

Her lips pursed. "I…am not certain."

Zack shook his head. This was beyond him. His place was in the training room, hacking at holograms of monsters, until the call came for him to hack at real monsters.

"Look, you seem nice, miss, and this is kind of awkward, but I have orders to—"

"—Take me into custody," she finished. She simply nodded, face devoid of emotion. "I understand. I will cooperate."

_Just like that_?

"Can you…uh…follow me? Or, I guess, you should take off your cloak first. Not…I mean, just so I can take your weapons."

"Of course," and like that she let it fall. Beneath, she was dressed in a stained peasant's shirt and plain, patched brown slacks, with worn boots on her feet. Zack couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. She was dressed like a peasant from centuries ago. Outside the deep country or Chocobo ranches, no one would dress like that. And it made no sense against the finery of her cloak.

"As you can see, I carry no weapons. Should I follow you or will you guide me from behind?"

As much as he would have loved to put her behind him, he said, "You better go first. It will…look better."

"Will you…bind me?" It was the first bit of hesitation he had seen from her.

"Just…go."

Calmly, she gathered her cloak in her arms and continued down the hallway. She was silent, hands gently folded, the entire time. Zack wished someone would say something, the silence was getting to him, but then he thought of how much more she would probably confuse him is she did say something. He wasn't sure which alternative is worse.

"I brought the subject," Zack said, sighing out his relief as he came to Shinra's cells. She was someone else's problem now.

"Good evening, sirs," she said to the guards, dipping her head. They were just as taken aback as Zack had been.

"We'll…take care of her. Thanks, Fair."

He did an about face and raised his hand in goodbye.

"Fair is your name?"

He couldn't get out that easily. "Fair is my surname."

"I see. Thank you, Master Fair. I am sorry if I distressed you."

When he returned to the simulator, he checked his current records. He'd been able to successfully take on 20 Death Machines once.

He set the controls for 35.

He had a feeling he'd need to hack through a lot of metal to get her out of his head.


	2. The Pull

Chapter Two: The Pull

The good news was that he broke his record. 23 Death Machines had fallen to his sword.

The bad was that he had reached the end of his rope with 12 to go.

He was grateful that only 6 were allowed in the room at a time, but all the same, it was a lot to handle when his head was swimming and his legs felt like rubber. "Ahh…" he sighed, hefting his sword up yet again. It seemed to get heavier with every swing. Somehow, he mustered the strength for a charge, screaming, "Come and get it!"

He swung with all the power left in his arms, and before it even made contact, he grinned. The blow would be a direct hit. The machine was sure to crumble under the weight.

But his sword never did make contact.

His foe instantly dissipated.

Unable to redirect his momentum, his sword swung straight into the ground. His body, balance lost, soon followed.

Slowly, the desert scene melted away, falling away in squares of color. He could hear the circuitry buzz and whir as it shut down, and after only a few moments, he was surrounded by the plain, gray simulation training room again.

He took off his simulation goggles and shook his head to dissolve the last of the battle fervor in his mind as he picked himself up. "Why'd you do that?" he asked, not bothering to hide his disappointment. "I was on a roll."

"You were about to fall over," came the reply. "And you were so tired that you didn't see the three Machines behind you lock on with their lasers. I probably saved you quite a buzz."

Zack grimaced and set to prying his sword from the floor. It took some doing. Some long, embarrassingly silent doing. "New record," he replied sheepishly, as if that could make up for his lack of attention. It eventually came free, and Zack sheathed it across his back.

"Quality over quantity, Zack. If your foundations are solid, battling more and more foes comes naturally with time."

Zack rolled his eyes before he turned to face his mentor. "I know my foundations," Zack insisted.

Angeal shook his head, a small, knowing smile on his face. "You lack _focus_, Zack."

"Never heard that one before," Zack murmured.

"I'll say it for as long as it takes to get it in your head." Angeal's smile faded. "You can't make SOLDIER First Class as you are now."

Zack shrugged. He didn't want to talk about it now. He went over to his belongings, piled unceremoniously in the corner, picked up his water bottle, and very gratefully partook.

Angeal had gone over to view the summary of his last simulation. "35, Zack? You still had 12 to go when I found you?" Zack didn't look, but knew Angeal was shaking his head in disapproval. "What inspired this rampage?"

"I was restless," Zack said simply. "Wanted to clear my head." He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. He had taken it too far. Even he knew it.

"What could make the happy puppy _that_ upset?"

Zack ignored the jab and started doing squats, slowly. "Upset's not the right word," he said.

"I see." Angeal was quiet, thoughtfully appraising him. Zack would bet fifty gil that within a minute his mentor could pinpoint what it was. He always had that uncanny knack – or maybe Zack just always wore his heart on his sleeve.

_5…4…3…2…_

"Was it the mission you were sent on yesterday?"

_Right on cue_. Zack straightened and rolled his neck, rubbing out a sore kink in the muscle. "You can't call it a mission."

"You resolved a security breach."

"There was no breach," Zack replied. "…At least, I don't think so. It's kind of…really…" he grimaced as he searched his vocabulary for the right word. Sighing, he gave up. "…Complicated," he finished.

Angeal raised an eyebrow, and that was Zack's cue to explain everything.

"That is a very interesting situation," Angeal agreed when Zack had finished. "But hardly something to be upset over. She's in custody now, I'm sure the Turks will sort it out."

"She doesn't deserve to be interrogated by the Turks," Zack said.

"Sympathy for an enemy of the company?"

"I'm telling you, man, she's not an enemy. She didn't _do_ anything! She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Think, Zack," Angeal, ever the voice of reason, urged his upset pupil. "How did she _get_ to be in the wrong place?"

Zack exhaled, deflating. "She didn't say."

"So something is odd. Given the situation, would have you done anything _besides_ take her into custody?"

"This is too messed up, Angeal. I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"SOLDIERs deal with a lot of messes. You might get used to it someday. But I still don't understand, what's making you so upset?"

Zack, with his post-workout stretches completed, made to leave the room. Before he could, Angeal moved into the doorway and put an arm out to bar his way. Zack probably could have started a scuffle about it, but wasn't in the mood.

He let his head fall against the door frame. "There's something weird about her. More than that she just showed up on the SOLDIER floor out of nowhere. I can't shake it! She sets me on edge. I just feel that something's not _right_."

"Do you think she's dangerous?"

"Not _dangerous_, just…" Zack rocked his head from side to side, forehead still pressed to the frame. "I don't even know. But I don't like it."

Angeal waited patiently for more, but when none came, he removed his arm from the doorway. "Let's go then."

"Go where?"

"To see her."

"Why?"

Angeal smirked. "Because the one time you _can_ focus, you focus on the wrong thing. The sooner this gets resolved, the sooner you can get your head back on."

And with that, Angeal started toward the elevators. Zack considered not following, knowing that he would not stop to wait for him, but decided against it. Sulking would get him nowhere, he reasoned, and it was embarrassing to not even know what he was sulking about.

The more he walked, the more reasons he came up with. And the more reasons he came up with, the more he felt like this was his choice.

By the time they arrived at the prison cells, he had completely forgotten the eerie pull that had dragged him forward in the first place.


End file.
